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Industry leaders approve of 's policy reversals on the Xbox One, but the $499 price-tag may still be a problem.

In the days leading up to E3, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) revealed its new policies regarding used game sales and a required internet connection for its upcoming next-generation video game console, the Xbox One.

The handicapping of used game sales and the requirement to log in to the internet every 24 hours struck many as unfriendly to consumers, and especially lower-income consumers who might have poor internet connections.

Xbox One owners would be able to sell used games at the discretion of game publishers, and would have new lending restrictions on games---though these new restrictions came with the new ability to lend digital games, something currently not available on most platforms.

The new restrictions were grim news for game retailer (NASDAQ:GME) casting a shadow over the company's big used-game business.

Then at E3, announced that it would make no similar policy changes. Used games would be handled the same as ever, and no internet connection would be required to play offline games, though a subscription to PlayStation Plus would be required for online gaming.

The crowd, quite literally, went wild:

Notably, Sony's positive reception was for making no changes at all. Had Microsoft not already set the stage with new used game policies, there would have been no thunder for Sony to steal in the first place.

Still, Microsoft paid close attention to the fan and critical response, and one thing was undeniably clear: in this lap of the console wars, Sony was giving the Xbox One a run for its money.

Days later, Microsoft announced that it was reversing its policies entirely, stripping away the 24-hour online log in requirement, and reverting the used game and game-lending policy back to the status quo.

"I think consumers didn't like their approach, so the fact they went back and listened to the consumers and gave them something different is a good move to ensure the new consoles [achieve] their potential," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told GamesIndustry International.

"GameStop welcomes today's announcement from Microsoft about changes in functionality for its next-generation console, the Xbox One," the company said in a statement.

"This is great news for gamers and we applaud Microsoft for understanding consumers and the importance of the preowned market."

For many consumers, this reversal may be too little, too late, however. For one thing, the Xbox One still clocks in at $499---$100 more than the PS4.

"If you do a focus group of a gazillion people and you show them two prices for two competitive products, 100 percent always prefer the lower price," Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg told GamesIndustry International,going on to note that "Microsoft is going to have to win the hearts and minds and convince people that the higher price point is worth it, and that it provides really meaningful capabilities that will be meaningful to consumers."

Part of that is convincing consumers that the required Kinect 2.0 is worth the extra cash. Sony opted to not include its own motion sensor with the PS4 bundle, even though the new DualShock 4 controllers have built in Move capabilities, selling it as a $59.99 peripheral instead.